


Small Moments

by PenShips



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Fluffy and Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-27 09:07:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8395777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenShips/pseuds/PenShips
Summary: A much needed date for Barry and Iris turns into something much more with a phone call from Cisco.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Another transferred story from my blog. I wrote it a while ago before westallen had their first date which is why Iris has a different dress (and there's no mention of Wally). Also I honestly literally can't believe that they named their children, Don and Dawn.

It had been a while since Barry took her to dinner. Since the twins were born, life had never been the same. They had less time for themselves. Whatever time wasn’t spend working or in Barry’s case, saving lives, it was spend with the twins. So when he’d come home one night declaring that she should prepare to be swept off her feet, Iris had never been more surprised.

She smiled at him across the table as they waited for their meals. He looked nervous, fidgety. It was cute that she still had the power to fluster him. If she was honest, he intimidated her. Here was a man with superpowers. He could have had anyone he wanted but instead he chose her. It was her.

And if anyone had told her she would have ended up marrying Barry Allen and having his children, she probably would have had them deemed insane.

Yet here she was.

Loving Barry had been easy; it was something she’d done from the first moment she saw him but falling in love with him was an adventure. She hadn’t seen it coming but looking back it was so easy to see how it would unfold. It was inevitable.

‘You look amazing,’ he said, smiling at her.

She smiled back. ‘You don’t look so bad yourself. You clean up nice.’

A comfortable silence settled over them as his eyes roved over her form. ‘You wore that dress on our first date.’

Iris glanced down at herself. It was a pink dress cutting off just above her knee. She still had a little baby weight around her stomach and thighs, so the dress fitted a little tighter. She didn’t mind. Iris knew she looked beautiful and she knew Barry thought so too. In the end, that was all that mattered.

‘I know,’ she said. ‘I picked it for that reason.’

He sat back in his chair, a dazed expression on his face. ‘How long ago was that?’

‘Almost ten years,’ Iris replied.

It had been so long and the years had aged Barry beautiful. He looked mature, distinguished. Lines subtly graced his face etching in their wake his wisdom and experience. He had gone through so much-they had gone through so much and she knew that there would always be more coming. With the Flash as her husband, there was never a dull moment in her life.

‘Ten years,’ he repeated. ‘Ten blissful years with the woman of my dreams.’

Iris blushed. ‘Almost ten years,’ she corrected.

‘Right, almost ten years,’ he laughed. ‘Do you remember our first date?’

His hands reached across the table to hold hers, igniting memories. She remembered their first date all too vividly. The Italian food, the candlelight, the kiss-but most of all, she remembered how nervous Barry was. 

‘I remember. You sweated through your shirt, accidently knocked over two glasses and tripped up…twice,’ she said, holding up two fingers.

‘You can’t blame me! You were wearing that dress and Joe promised to kill me if anything went wrong!’

Iris rolled her eyes. ‘Yeah right! My dad adores you and I’m pretty sure he loves you more than he loves his own daughter. I mean, come on, you two are crime-fighting buddies!’

He smiled. ‘This is nice,’ he said.

Just as she was about to reply, Barry’s phone rang. He answered it, speaking in hushed tones. She raised an eyebrow, mentally ticking off the things that could be wrong. Before heading out on this much needed date, he’d told Caitlin to call only if the situation was dire. He glanced worriedly in her direction but she gave him a reassuring smile and a nod of the head. His work was important. She understood that.

‘Go,’ she said, once he hung up. ‘I’ll wait for my meal and bring you back some-’

Barry shook his head as he stood up. His face was grave; the previous carefree amusement was nowhere to be seen. ‘No, we need to go.’

She blinked owlishly in his direction. ‘I’m sorry, we?’

‘Cisco called.’

Never before has two words in the English language caused her blood to run cold. Cisco was the one who was babysitting the children.

‘What did he say?’

‘He said to come home. Something happened to the kids.’

And that was all Iris needed to hear. Her heart skipped a beat as she rushed out of the restaurant. She barely registered knocking over a chair and alarming the customers. Once out of the warm building, the cold night air assaulted her body. It stole away her warmth. She’d forgotten her coat but it didn’t seem to matter anymore.

‘We’re not taking the car,’ Barry said, scooping her up in his arms.

She clung to his suit jacket; the cold air rushing around her, through her, chilling her to her bones. Iris huddled closer to Barry as his temperature would be rising soon. She remembered the first time he took her in his arms and ran; she’d been cold and curious about his powers. Two birds, one stone, he said cockily.

The ride had been dizzying, all the colours whizzing past, blending together to form a grey sludge. She could hardly make out people from pavement, sky from ground. Quickly she had learnt that the only way to stabilise herself was to find a fixed point. Usually, it was Barry’s eyes but this time, it was hard to focus on him. He looked how she felt; his mouth downturned, eyebrows furrowed, green eyes alit with an array of violent emotions.

Donald and Dawn were the light of their lives. Without them, the world would become a dark and dismal place. She couldn’t imagine that. She didn’t want to.

He skidded to a halt in front of their house and placed her on the pavement, trying to stomp out the friction-caused fire on his shoes. Iris paid no attention to him, her mind still drowning itself in scenarios of kidnapped children or childless futures. One foot in front of the other, zombie-like, she made her way up the path to the front door.

She’d fought Barry on buying the house when they’d first seen it. Though it was no use, he’d fallen in love with it from the brickwork and humongous garden to the spacious living area and large bedrooms. A retro two bedroom apartment was what she’d been after but Barry envisioned a family home, a welcoming abode where he would forget the pressures of his alter ego. In the end, she had crumbled under his fantasy-melted at his portrayal of family life. He wanted two daughters, she wanted two sons. They both got one of each.

Barry brushed passed her, flinging the door she’d been locked in a staring contest with open. He dragged her in by the upper arm, using his thumb to rub soothing circles against her skin. If Barry was going to be strong, then she’d try to be too. Whatever life had in store for them, they were going to get through it-together.

But the scene was not what she’d expected. The air was light, airy. There was no terrible tragedy that took place here. Caitlin emerged from the kitchen, stuffing her face with one of Barry’s pastries. They were terrible things-a recipe he’d picked up from England. They were far too stodgy and full of meat for her taste but everyone else seemed to love them.

She froze for a moment, eyes wide before smiling and wiping the access crumbs from her mouth. ‘What are you guys doing here?’ she asked. 

Iris could only open and close her mouth, still confused over the situation.

‘Where are the kids?’

Caitlin simply smiled widely. ‘See for yourself.’

Tentatively they entered the kitchen, Caitlin right behind them. Iris could practically feel her beaming smile. Her father and Professor Wells sat around the island in the middle, cooling cups of coffee resting on the marble top as they chattered excitedly about something. Cisco was standing before the kitchen table, papers and sketches littered before him. He was practically bouncing on his toes.

‘Barry! Iris!’ he exclaimed, once they were spotted. ‘Boy, have I got news for you!’

Finally, she found her voice. ‘Cisco, what the hell? You gave us a scare. We thought something happened to the kids!’

A grin took over his face, full of secrets and treasures. ‘But that’s just it-something did happen to Don and Dawn,’ he paused, most likely for dramatic effect. Iris hated that it was working. ‘Remember when we weren’t exactly sure if Barry’s superpowers were genetically transferable? Well guess what? They freaking are!’

On cue, two small red gyres appeared from the garden. They circled around the kitchen island twice before coming to a halt in front of her, twin grins of satisfaction and achievement plastered on her children’s face. Iris was at a loss for words. Fortunately, Barry wasn’t. 

‘My God,’ he laughed, swooping down to pull them into a hug. ‘You guys are so fast! I couldn’t even see you!’

‘Now we can race you properly, dad,’ Don said.

‘And win, of course,’ Dawn added with a cheeky smile.

‘Oh, how cute,’ Caitlin said beside her.

Iris only nodded, overjoyed at the thought that Barry would have both his children to pass on his legacy to. When they’d been born and expressed no potential for any sort of powers, he’d been deeply disappointed. During the pregnancy, he would spend hours talking to the twins, promising them training sessions and family races. All Iris wanted was her children to be healthy, ten fingers and ten toes. She was happy Barry finally got his wish, too.

‘Tiny Flash, Twin Terrors, Tornado Twins, Small Streaks, Kid Flash,’ Cisco recited, ticking the names off on his fingers.

There was a collective sigh of exasperation around the room.

‘What?’ he shrugged. ‘I’m brain storming!’

Iris hooked her hands with Barry, relieved her expectations after Cisco’s phone call hadn’t come true. She could see Dawn and Don running around in a smaller version of Barry’s suit. Simultaneously, she was struck with a mother’s pride and worry. It was odd, she’d never felt those combinations before.

Dawn beamed up at her. ‘Watch me beat Don in a race, mom,’ she said, turning on the spot to become a small red tornado.

She hovered for a moment, waiting for her brother before shooting out of the kitchen. There was a faint crashing sound followed by exclaims and denial of any incident from the twins. Iris shook her head and laughed. Heaven knows what life was going to be like now with those two around the house using their superspeed.

‘I think Tornado Twins is probably the right name for them,’ Joe said, taking a sip of his coffee.

‘Tornado Twins,’ they heard Cisco mutter as he trailed off to the table filled with equations and sketches. 

Another crash was heard, this time something had been broken. ‘Mom! Dawn broke your vase!’

‘Did not! You bumped into it! Don bumped into it!’

‘You pushed me!’

‘Did not!’

‘Did too!’

The grown-ups in the kitchen glanced around at each other. A moment of still silence before laughter erupted. Iris didn’t think that this particular group of people would ever be able to find the humour in anything. Especially after the last fiasco with Captain Cold trying to entice Caitlin to give into her alter ego. It had almost torn the group apart. Yet here they were.

Together and laughing.

Cisco took a step forward. ‘I got this,’ he said to her. ‘I’ve been telling the twins that if they don’t behave I could revoke their powers. It totally works wonders.’

From the corner of her eye, she could see Professor Wells smirking. ‘I have a distinct vision that excuse will not last very long and you’re going to be in for a lot of trouble from them when they figure out you’re lying, Cisco.’

‘Better him than me,’ Barry said as Cisco shrugged and strode out of the kitchen to discipline the bickering children.

Joe pulled out his phone. ‘Anyone in the mood for Chinese?’

A chorus of yes was his only answer.

And as the standing adults took their seat around the island, each shouting demands to the overwhelmed Joe. Iris couldn’t help but allow a satisfied smile to grace her face. Barry had promised a romantic evening where he would have swept her off her feet. Everything would be as evenings they once had early in their relationship but if she was completely honest, Iris preferred this.

A comfortable night in with her friends and family, surrounded by warmth and comfort. She wouldn’t trade this for the world.


End file.
